General News
28 July, 2022
Names of veterans sought
CAMPERDOWN Returned Services League (RSL) sub-branch has called for assistance from the community for a project.
CAMPERDOWN Returned Services League (RSL) sub-branch has called for assistance from the community fora project.
Camperdown RSL president Alan Fleming said the opening months of 1942 were perhaps the darkest days of World War II for Australia, with the seemingly unstoppable advance of Imperial Japanese forces across Asia and into the Pacific.
He said thousands of Australian and British service men were captured by Japanese forces during the fall of Singapore, in February 1942.
Mr Fleming said Australia was directly threatened with invasion and Darwin had already been powerfully attacked in February 1942 by Japanese warplanes.
“When Japanese soldiers stormed Papua New Guinea on July 21, 1942 with the start of the Kokoda Trail campaign, World War II arrived on Australia’s doorstep,” he said.
“Within the recruitment in Camperdown and district, 41 local men who enlisted in 1941 commenced training at Trawool near Seymour and remained together in the 15th Field Company Royal Australian Engineers."
“With other units from the 3rd Division camped around Seymour, they marched 240 kilometres to their new location in Bonegilla over seven days.”
Mr Fleming said the men later trained in Casino in New South Wales, Caboolture and Atherton in Queensland before moving to Papua New Guinea, landing in Port Moresby on March 16, 1943.
He said their duties included making and repairing roads, building bridges, moving ahead of tanks and identifying booby traps, detonating ammunition storages and unexploded bombs.
“As a mark of respect, Camperdown RSL, with the assistance of the Camperdown Cemetery Trust are seeking assistance from the community to identify the graves of all who served in our military forces from the Boer War to the present,” Mr Fleming said.
“Some headstones show evidence of military service with emblems or service numbers, there are many more without any detail and in some cases, no headstone at all."
“This is an inclusive project, many in our forces were called up or volunteered and served their entire time in Australia."
“Their details are difficult to find and we need your assistance.”
To register details of friends or relatives contact Alan Fleming on 0439 229 606, email alanfleming1@bigpond, form is available from the Camperdown Courthouse or leave contact details in the RSL letter box at 14 Pike Street Camperdown.